What You Can and Can’t Eat with Braces

What You Can and Can’t Eat with Braces

Just because you have braces doesn’t mean you can’t eat some of your favorite foods! With a new pair of braces from Exeter Orthodontics, you may have to make some adjustments to your diet, but you’ll be surprised by the large variety of delicious foods still available to you.

What You CAN Eat with Braces: Fruit & Vegetables

You can still eat some of your favorite fruits and vegetables with braces. Pears, peaches, apples, bananas, berries, carrots, potatoes, peas, and more can round out your meals. However, make sure hard fruits like apples and pears are sliced, and cook raw vegetables like carrots so they’re soft. Biting into a raw fruit or vegetable can cause pain and even break your wires or brackets.

What You CAN’T Eat with Braces: Nuts & Seeds

Nuts or seeds can be a quick snack while you’re sitting at your desk during work or while you’re taking in a baseball game at the park. However, they’re not the snack you want to gravitate toward if you have braces. Their small size can make it easy for them to get lodged in your teeth, while hard nuts like walnuts or cashews can break your braces.

If you’re craving something like peanuts, opt for peanut butter or other soft spreads instead.

What You CAN Eat with Braces: Bread, Pasta, & Other Grains

If you’re a fan of pasta served alongside warm bread, you’re in luck. Even with braces, you can still eat your spaghetti and garlic bread. Bread, pasta, and other grains are relatively soft, making them safe for those with braces. This means your favorite sweets like cakes, brownies, and cookies are also alright to eat. However, beware of hard bread or crusts, like bagels or croutons.

What You CAN’T Eat with Braces: Candy

Lollipops, caramels, gumdrops, gummy bears, and more can all damage your braces and your smile. While hard candy can break your braces, sticky candy can get trapped beneath your wires. When sugar sits on your teeth, your smile is more prone to decay. To avoid cavities and discoloration, it’s best to stay away from candy during the course of your treatment.

What You CAN Eat with Braces: Chicken, Fish, & Pork

Your favorite meats aren’t off limits when you have braces, but you should be careful. Cut your meats into small portions so they’re easier and less uncomfortable to chew. Stick to softer cuts of meat, like chicken and fish, while avoiding meat you eat off the bone, like ribs.

What You CAN’T Eat with Braces: Pretzels & Popcorn

Pretzels and popcorn are popular snack foods. However, they pose just as much danger to your smile as candy. Both can break your braces and send you back to the orthodontist for a repair. Popcorn is especially tricky, as it can get lodged between your wires and brackets.

Smiling Brighter with Braces

If you’re a fan of caramel-covered popcorn or chocolate covered nuts, you may have some sacrifices to make when it comes to your braces. However, there are still plenty of alternatives and substitutes you can choose from. Two years of no popcorn now means decades of a straighter, whiter, healthier smile in the future. Your smile is an investment, one that’s worth a little sacrifice.

If you’re interested in learning more about the dos and don’ts of braces, contact our orthodontists in Easton, Reading, Allentown, and beyond. They’ll be glad to help answer your questions.